Vale of Lune 26-5 Blackburn

It is sometimes said that players do not hurt enough but after the defeats at Rochdale and Wilmslow there must have been a fair bit of soul searching, straight talking and looking in the mirror because there was a steely quality about the Vale’s play in the opening minutes of the first half.

Olly Jacques had Blackburn’s defenders retreating with a first minute blast down his wing after an accurate cross kick from Jack Turton.

Two minutes later a fired up, boiling Vale pack took one against the head and by the time the fifth minute had clicked up the Vale had taken the lead.

A well controlled forward drive from 15 metres out had Blackburn scrambling, quick bursts of power brought the whitewash ever closer before the hard working Tom Cvijanovic claimed the try which Damon Hall converted.

Blackburn regained some composure but despite being under pressure the Vale tackled and covered with spirit and went further ahead in the 16th minute.

Damon Hall set off on a crossfield run from his berth on the right wing.

His momentum built with every powerful stride, tacklers were brushed aside on his way to a quality try. In something of a collector’s item his conversion was charged down.

The third try came in the 27th minute with Jack Ayrton and Fraser Spavin applying the booster rockets in the build up to Dan Baines’s try, the hooker hammering his way over from close range.

Hall fairly leathered the conversion over from wide out on the left hand side to complete the first half scoring.

In the fifth minute of second half the Vale hauled in their fourth try bonus point of the season after a blistering start.

Sam Wallbank effortlessly gathered up the ball and launched a single minded assault that had only one objective.

He spun through tackles, twisting this way and that for one of his familiar tries which Hall converted from in front.

Blackburn cored an unconverted try in the 57th minute but Vale then pulled the shutters down.

Blackburn tried in vain to upset Vale’s composure and in the closing ten minutes the Vale confidently eased their way to a morale boosting victory in front of the critical gaze of a host of former players who had been attending their annual dinner.